When was the last time you took a good look at your inspection form? Is it…

1. … in color?

2. … neat and uncluttered?

3. … realistic and are your techs actually inspecting all the items consistently?

4. … organized in the exact order that the inspection is performed to save time?

And importantly, are you committed to enforcing 100% compliance on all inspection items?

One of the most common challenges we see is that the owner is not honest with himself about his inspection program. "Are you ready to enforce a set inspection procedure in your facility?" If you are only going to enforce 15 points on your inspection, then why have 25 items listed and hope that all items are inspected? Hope is not a good business strategy.

A complete service interval vehicle schedule along with other winter car tips is available at the Car Care Council's website, http://www.carcare.org. The Car Care Council is the source of information for the "Be Car Care Aware" campaign, educating consumers about the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair. In addition, Mighty has a free app that allows you to create a custom inspection form as well. Choose from one of four templates. Ask your Mighty rep for more details or check it our for yourself on Tech Central.

INCREASE YOU SALES OPPORTUNITIES

Change the way you look at your inspection reports. Look at each point as a sales opportunity. Example: if you see 10 cars a day and have a 15 point inspection, that's 150 sales opportunities without increasing your vehicle count!

COLOR SELLS

Next, if your inspection report is still black and white, change it. Your inspection sheet represents your hard work and efforts on the customer's behalf. You wouldn't print an invoice on old crumbled up paper and give it to the customer would you? Keep it simple, but add some color such as red, yellow, green condition indicators, your logo, a picture of a battery or other key products. Make your inspection sheet a sales tool, not a work order.

BE CONSISTENT

Teach a set procedure for your inspection routine. The same procedure every time keeps you from missing items. Besides, the customer is watching and you look more professional when you have a set routine. If you have multiple locations, be sure to use the same inspection report and follow the same procedures to deliver a consistent experience to your customer.

DO THE RIGHT THING

Finally, instill the mindset in your employees that a complete and thorough inspection is "The Right Thing to Do". If you believe this, then it is a disservice to your customers not to inform them of everything that you found on their car.

Present your findings to the customer every time. An educated customer makes an educated decision. After all, it's not your vehicle and not your decision to make. It is the customer's decision to make on how they want to maintain their car…after your thorough inspection and experienced recommendations.